Google’s updated search engine, integrated with artificial intelligence, is causing worry among experts as it generates false and misleading answers. Issues range from mythical interactions with cats on the moon to promoting conspiracy theories. The tech giant is under pressure to address these inaccuracies amidst competition from other AI-driven companies.
Google’s newly updated search engine, enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI), is generating incorrect and misleading answers that have raised concerns among experts. When asked whether cats have been on the moon, Google’s AI confidently presented a false narrative involving astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin interacting with cats during the Apollo 11 mission. This type of error is not isolated, with the AI tool occasionally presenting similar misinformation on other topics since its deployment.
Melanie Mitchell, an AI researcher at the Santa Fe Institute, found that a query regarding the number of Muslim U.S. presidents led to the AI disseminating a long-debunked conspiracy theory about former President Barack Obama. Google acknowledges these issues, stating they are taking “swift action” to correct inaccuracies and improve the system.
Experts like Emily M. Bender from the University of Washington warn that the flawed AI responses could lead to serious consequences, particularly in emergency situations, and could perpetuate biases found in the data on which the AI is trained. Google is facing competition from other tech companies like OpenAI and Perplexity AI, pushing the firm to hastily develop and release new AI functionalities.
